Two Little Boys
by Daemith
Summary: A songfic/drabble featuring Boromir and Faramir. Many things change as they grow up, but brotherhood will always mean the same thing.


This fic was inspired by the song "Two Little Boys". I don't know who it was originally written by, it's been sung by a number of people. I didn't put the lyrics (other than the italic line in the middle) in here because... I didn't feel like it. Whatever. Anyway, I'd suggest googling the lyrics. You can also find various versions of it on youtube if you'd like to hear it.

In other notes....

Boromir is 5 years older than Faramir. This is canon. In the first part of the story, they are 4 and 9, in the second, somewhere in their 20s.

I refer to Faramir as being a Lieutenant a couple times. In the books, (and movies,) he's referred to as a Captain, so it seems logical to me that he'd have been a Lieutenant at some point.

I'm not really sure how realistic/plausible the second half is as far as the battle scene, events, etc, go. I was mainly shaping it to fit the plot. We call this artist license. :D

Alright, I think that more or less satisfies my need for ridiculously long ANs. Enjoy the story. :)

* * *

Faramir laughed, rocking wildly back and forth on the little toy horse. Beside him, his brother Boromir leaned forward over his own horse's wooden neck, waving with one hand the toy sword his father had made for him just that morning.

"Bet ya can't catch me!" challenged the older boy, with a grin to Faramir.

"Yes I can!" the four year old shrieked happily in response, bouncing so wildly that the rocking horse actually scraped across the flagstone floor. "I'm catching you, Bor!" he exclaimed, but at the same instant as he spoke, he rocked his horse forward with such vigor that it lurched forward over the ends on its rockers. The little boy tumbled roughly off his steed as it pitched head-first into the stone floor.

Little Faramir's response was immediate, he let out a great wail and tears streamed down his cheeks. In an instant, Boromir was off his rocking horse and beside his brother.

"Fara, are you hurt?" he asked his brother, brushing the boy's hair out of his face carefully.

With a great sniff, the child shook his head. "Noooo, but Bor, is broke!" he responded forlornly, gesturing toward the poor horse.

Boromir looked critically at the toy. It was, indeed, broken, and severely too- the carefully carved head snapped clean off at the neck. Turning back to his little brother, he took his hand and pulled it gently from his teary face.

"Your horse died bravely in battle, little brother, but we've still got mine." he announced seriously, and with that he picked Faramir up and slung the little boy into the "saddle" of his own rocking horse, climbing on behind. Mounted again, the child's tears ceased.

"Thanks for rescuing me, Bor!" he laughed as his brother began to rock the horse again.

"You're my brother, I wouldn't leave you behind," Boromir replied earnestly, "One day we'll be _real_ warriors, and then you'll have to rescue me!"

* * *

_Long years passed, war came so fast, bravely they marched away...

* * *

_

Faramir wheeled his horse frantically, narrowly missing the slash of a halberd. Quickly dispatching the orc wielding the crude weapon, he rose higher in the saddle, desperately scanning the battlefield for his brother. At last, he spotted him, and his heart dropped into his gut. Boromir lay motionless, half covered by a felled horse. With an oath that would've made his brother proud, the young Lieutenant spurred his horse across the field to where his wounded brother lay. Dismounting, he knelt beside Boromir's prone form.

"Alas, it seems Tuilinn has reached the end of his days," the half-conscious Boromir groaned, gesturing faintly toward the massive warhorse that covered the lower half of his body.

A shadow of a smile passed over Faramir's face: trust Boromir to be Mandos's doorstep and still making jokes.

"Boromir, I have to try and move the horse," he warned, knowing that if his brother had broken bones, the process of shifting the huge dead weight would be horribly painful.

Still fighting to remain lucid, Boromir nodded and gritted his teeth, as Faramir put his shoulder under the horse and pushed with all his might.

Slowly, the great warhorse began to shift, not much, but enough that Boromir could begin to drag his legs out from beneath it. Suddenly, the older brother shouted, and Faramir whirled around just in time to see Boromir's dagger slash the legs of a charging orc. Quickly finishing the downed monster, he turned back to his task of freeing Boromir.

"Little brother, you're going to get yourself killed," Boromir reprimanded weakly, "Get back on your horse and finish the battle."

Half-frowning, Faramir turned back to face his elder brother. "What, and leave you here? You're not getting rid of me that easily, Bor!" he asserted, determinedly continuing his attempt to heave the dead horse clear of Boromir.

Finally, realizing he'd never be able to lift the dead weight through sheer strength, the young Lieutenant cast around for some other means to shift the horse. Boromir was slipping into unconsciousness, and Faramir feared he would not last much longer without treatment. Catching sight of a discarded pike, Faramir grasped the long shaft, then looked for an appropriate fulcrum. Nothing presented itself as a solution, so as a last resort, the younger brother removed his own horse's saddle, placing it just to the side of his brother. Though not as high as he would've liked, the stiff, high-backed saddle made a fair fulcrum for his improvised lever. Thrusting one end of the pike as firmly as he could, Faramir rested it across the saddle, then leaned on the opposite end with all he had. At last, and almost imperceptibly, the horse's body lifted from the ground, but it was enough to remove the pressure from the trapped man. As the weight was lifted from his legs, Boromir gave a groan, coming back to his surroundings. "Brother," Faramir spoke gently, but with desperate urgency, "You must try and move, for I cannot hold this and pull you out at the same time."

Weakly, the elder brother nodded, gritting his teeth as he pulled himself up onto his elbows. Slowly, he began inching back, dragging his lower body out from under the crushing weight of the horse. The pain of feeling returning to his legs was excruciating- the only thing keeping Boromir going was Faramir. His little brother obviously wasn't going to leave him, and every moment he was trying to free Boromir was a risk, vulnerable as he was.

At last, Faramir managed to lever the horse's body up enough to plant the opposite end on the pike firmly in the ground. Making sure it was hold, the young man quickly rushed to his brother's side. Grasping the larger man under the armpits, he at last hauled his brother entirely clear of the fallen beast.

For a moment, the two lay exhausted, side by side at the fringe of the battlefield. Finally, Faramir drew himself slowly to his feet. Remarkably, his horse, Lithuiel, had stuck around throughout the whole ordeal. Making a mental note to reward the faithful animal upon their safe return, Faramir called the horse to him. To weary to replace the saddle, he opted instead to ride bareback- it would've been difficult fitting Boromir into the deep saddle beside him anyway.

"Bor, can you stand?" he asked, turning to his brother.

With a great effort, the Captain raised himself to a sitting position. From there he slowly shifted to his knees, steadily fighting his way to his feet even as his face paled to the colour of clean sheets. Moving to help him, Faramir guided him to Lithuiel, then with as much care as possible, helped him mount the horse.

Boromir seemed to have regained some of his strength, and he smiled as Faramir swung up behind him. "Stubborn little whelp of a brother," he grumbled good-naturedly.

"Did you really think I would leave you?" Faramir asked, only-half teasing as he pointed the horse toward the White City and urged her forward.

The older brother shook his head ruefully. "It was still worth a try."

Minutes passed in silence as the pair moved toward the city at a gentle canter. Behind them, the battle had come to an end, the orcs routed by the Gondorian forces, but neither brother lent that much thought.

It was Boromir who broke the silence. "Fara, do you remember all those years ago-"

He needed elaborate no further, the younger cut him off almost immediately, for the same thing had been on his mind too. "Yes brother, I remember."


End file.
